When the Hun School football team built a 21-0 lead in the second half of its season finale at Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) earlier this month, the Raiders appeared to be cruising to victory.
But nothing came easy for Hun this fall and the Blue Waves scored 14 unanswered points to turn the game into a nailbiter. Coming up with a late turnover, the Raiders were able to hold on for a 21-14 win and end an up-and-down fall on a high note.
Hun head coach John Law was relieved to see his team escape with the win.
“That was a great ending; we went in a little banged up and it was a little more of a challenge than usual,” said Law, who guided Hun to a 2-6 record in his first year at the helm of the program.
“We had control of the game for three quarters. They scored in the fourth quarter when one of defensive backs slipped on a play. We were sputtering on offense and they scored. We were taking on water. Brendan Black intercepted a pass with 50 seconds left when they were driving. It was good to see one of those plays go our way.”
The Raiders faced challenges even before the first game as longtime head coach Dave Dudeck was placed on administrative leave by the school in early September due to ongoing litigation in connection with his tenure as Princeton police chief.
Veteran assistant Law was handed the reins and the Raiders proceeded to lose their first four games, getting outscored 119-61. Hun broke through with a 41-0 win over the Hill School (Pa.) and played well down the stretch, losing two tight games to Lawrenceville and Peddie before edging Mercersburg.
While Law would’ve liked to seen the Raiders get more wins this fall, he had no qualms with the character shown by his players.
“I was proud of the kids and the way they fought through a tough season, they competed every week and showed a lot of guts,” said Law.
“It was a little discouraging because of the record, we are not used to that. We knew how close we were in a lot of games. We really matured mentally as a football team. If we take any lesson from this season, it is that we have to stay mentally focused for all four quarters and handle the intensity and ebbs and flows of the game.”
With junior quarterback Donavon Harris triggering the offense with his passing and running and tailback Christopher Sharp racing through and past opposing defenses, the Raiders offense got into a rhythm down the stretch, scoring 119 points in their last four contests.
“We had firepower on offense and defense,” said Law. “We were confident, especially in our offense. We had new kids playing new positions and it took time for them to get used to that.”
Law credited the team’s seniors with helping the young kids stay on track.
“In a such a tough season, we had to lean on our leadership,” said Law, whose Class of 2014 included Cameron Dudeck, Kamerin Thomas, Zack DiGregorio, Kyle Drayton, Muhammad Wainwright, Corey Reynolds, Colton Jay Jumper, Andrew Foster, J.T. Bucsek, Ryan Anderson, Jess Coleman, and Raymond Pfundt. “Through everything, they kept us together.”
For Law, moving up to the head coach role proved to be a tough challenge. “The crazy thing is that when I started I thought I have been doing this 23 years and I was thinking how much different can it be,” said Law.
“There was a lot new and I still need to learn more. It is quite a responsibility and I am humbled by it. The biggest thing is that you don’t get any rest. As a position coach, you get a break at times. As a head coach, you have to be in it the whole way. There are administrative and outside things that you have to deal with.”
In Law’s view, the program is in a good position going forward having undergone this fall’s travails.
“I am really excited,” asserted Law. “We have some good players who got some great experience this fall. The kids are competitors, they love the game and that is what drives them.”